haskins



4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(Model.)

0. D. HASKINS. Switch for Telephone Lines.

Patented Nov. 23,1880.

N. PETERS, PHOTD-LI'THOGRAFIHER, WASHINGTON, D C.

(Mode1.) 'Sheets-Sheet 2.

O. D. HASKINS. Switch for Telephone Lines No. 234,773. Patented Nov. 23,1880.

NY PETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGMJHER, \K'XSH-NETG-I 4 Sheets-81169133..

(Model.)

0. D. HASK INS. Switch for Telephone Lines.

No. 234,773. Patented Nov. 23, 1880.

2i PETERS. P

(MudeL) 4 Sheets-Sheet. 4. O. D. HASKINS.

Switch for Telephone Lines. No'. 234,773. Patented Nov. 23,1880,

N. PETERS. FMQTU-UTHOGRAPNER, WASHWGTDN. D c.

area Starts ATENT @rrrca.

CHARLES D. HASKINS, OF NE? YORK, N. Y.

SWiTCl-l FOR TELEPHONE-UNES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 284,773, dated November 23, 1880.

Application filed March 15, 1860.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES D. HASKINS, of New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switches for Telephone-Lines, which improvements are fully set; forth in the following specification, reference bein g had to the accom pan yin g drawin gs.

This invention relates to electric calls orsignals especially adapted for use on telephonecircuits, though suitable for other purposes. Its object is to enable signals to be exchanged between a central office and any station on a given circuit without operating the signal or call'bell of any other station on the same circuit, and to provide a means by which persons at other stations will be prevented from interrupting or overbearing a message which is being sent by a person using the telephone at another station on the same circuit, and to supply a method by which the operator at the central office of a telephone exchange will be enabled to set the different instruments at a common starting-point.

The operation and construction of myappa' ratus will be readily understood from the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top-plan view, in which the figures above the dotted line represent a view of the apparatus and circuit-connections at a sub station, and those below the line the battery and signaling apparatus at the central office. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the sbuntingand locking apparatus. Figs. 3 and 4 are views of detached parts. Figs. 5 and 6 are perspective views from different directions, and Fig. 7 is a view ofa modification of my invention.

Referring to Fig. 1, the letter 1) represents a galvanic battery with its poles in connection with a suitable current-reversing switch, 0, and a cutout switch, (I. I. and 7c are well-known forms of circuit-breaking keys. f is an ordinary call-bell. 4

The letter Z designates the lever of a telephone-switch curved inwardly at its lower extremity, forming two projections, 11 and r, and pivoted at l to the frame 6, the said frame at its lower extremity being bent to formahook, n, adapted to hold a telephone, the said lever and frame being of metal. Rigidly attached (Model.)

to the lever Z are two metallic strips or contact-springs, g and g, the spring 9 being insulated from the lever l and normally in contact with segment m, spring g making contact with segment m when lever l is thrown outward, as indicated by dotted lines.

The letter A designates a polarized electromagnet, similar in construction to what is known as the Siemens polarized relay-magnet, S S being the coils surrounding soft-iron cores, and provided with inwardly-extending soft-iron poles to and to. q is the permanent p0- larizing-magnet, and 0 is the soft-iron armature or tongue which plays between the poles w and w, and having its lower end fixed to an arbor, 1', mounted in metallic hearings to and a, arranged upon the permanent magnet q, the said vibratory tongue having a prolongation, h, of some non-magnetic metal.

TheletterD indicates a disk fixed to a sleeve, J, which is mounted on a stud projecting from the metallic plate G, and to this sleeve is fixed aratchet-wheel, G. The disk D has cut through it an aperture, 0, and said disk is so located as to be in the path of the upper end of the vibratory tongue 0 and a rearwardly-projectingpin, 0, attached thereto, so that said tongue cannot make a full movement toward the pole 20 except when the aperture 0 ot' the disk coincides with the pin 0, so that said pin can pass through it. It will be thus observed that the disk D serves as a lock to prevent the tongue 0 from making its full movement to ward the pole to at all other times except when said aperture and said pin are in coincidence, said disk being thus constituted a signal-shunt look, as will presently appear.

To bring the aperture into, or to remove it from, coincidence with the pin 0, the disk is turned by the operation of an impelling-paw], f, upon the ratchetwheel O, this impellingpawl f being pivoted to the top of an arm, F, the lower end of which is fixed to a polarized steel armature, H, formed in the shape of a horseshoe, and so pivoted tothe arm I, projecting from the plate Gr, that its poles stand directly in front of the soft-iron poles to w of the polarized magnet. When the armature H is attracted by the magnet the arm F and its pawl f cause the ratchet-wheel O to move one tooth at a time, a retractile spring, 1', withspring, 12, having a transverse rib, r.

drawing the armature from the magnet when the influence of the latter ceases. A stop, 0, projecting from the pawl f, prevents the ratchet-wheel moving more than the length of one tooth each time, and a detent, c, prevents a retrograde movement. Some distance below its top the tongue 0 has fixed to it an elastic metallic arm, '0, projecting rearwardly.

To a stud projecting from the plate G is fixed a block, K, of insulating material, and to the front face of this block is fixed a metallic plate, a, the block K and the plate 00 being so arranged that when the pin 0 of the tongue 0 projects through the aperture 0 of the disk D the spring-arm '0 will be carried toward the plate G such a distance as to bring the tip or point of spring-arm o in contact with said insulating-block; but when the tongue 0 moves outward and the pin 0 is withdrawn from the aperture of the disk the tip of the arm 0) will press upon the end of the metallic plate a. When the tip of this spring-arm v rests upon the edge of said plate a; the signal-bell is shunted out of the main circuit; but when said spring-arm is in contact with the insulatingblock K the signal-magnets will be shunted into the main circuit, as will be hereinafter more particularly described, and thus it will be seen that the arm 12 is the movable portion of the signal-shunt. As before stated, the disk D prevents the full movement of the tongue 0 toward pole to, and consequently prevents the movement of the arm 1; from the brass plateau to the insulating-block K, except at such times as the aperture of the disk coincides with the pin 0 of thetongue 0. At all other times, therefore, the diskD locks the signal-bell shunt from being operated. It is thus a signal-bell-shunt lock.

Fixed to and turningwith the sleeve J is a projection, m, and a pin, a, triangular in cross-section, Figs. 3 and 4.

In the path of the projection m is a flat Said springv is fixed by a screw, t, to an arm or guard, L, which projects at right angles from a stud, M, fixed to the plate G, but electrically insulated therefrom by hard-rubber sheath S, the stud M being in metallic connection with the main line by wire 9.

Fixed to the tongue 0, and projecting rearwardly, is a rigid arm, y, having on its extremity two vertical prolongations, w and y, Fig. 4, having their opposite edges beveled, 00 being'bent slightly toward lever F.

One terminal of the coils S S is connected with the line or ground wire 1, and also to the switch-lever l. The other terminal is in metallic connection with the metal plate G, to which the permanent magnet q is fixed in metallic contact.

One terminal of the call-bell coils is connected to the plate G by wire 2, the other terminal connecting to the plate aby wire 4, and to the metal segment on by wire 6.

The telephone 13 is connected to the upper and lower contact-plates of key It by wires 8 and 8, the lower plate of said key being also connected to segment on by wire 5. The lever of key It is in metallic connection with the main line 2 and with the insulated metallic spring g by branch wire 3.

The steel polarized armature H has its poles so arranged that an electrical current through the coils S S, having a polarity to cause the soft-iron tongue 0 to move toward the pole 20, will also cause the poles to w to attract said armature H, and from this it follows that said armature will be repelled and fall back, with the assistance of its retraetile spring, when a current is passing through the coils S S, which will cause the tongue 0 to move toward pole w. Each snbscribers station is provided with the apparatus consisting of the shunting and locking instrument, an electric bell, and switch, connected together and to the main line, as described. The aperture 0 of the disk D in each instrument is set in a different position with relation to the pin 0 from that of all of the other instruments, so that at only one instrument can the tongue 0 perform its full movement toward pole to at a time, and at none other of the stations will the disk and the pin 0 coincide or be in line. For example, say that four vibrations of the arm F will cause pawl f to move the ratchet wheel D four teeth and bring aperture 0 opposite the pin 0 at the first station, it should require the movement of the ratchet a greater number of teethsay eightto produce the coincidence at the second station, and so on.

The operator at the central otfice, by means of the key L, can send over the main line the proper number of electrical impulses to cause the disk at any desired station to move to bring its aperture to a proper position to receive the pin 0, the current being of the proper polarity to cause the tongue 0 to rest against the pole 20. Thus the pin 0 will not engage with the disks at any station; but when the polarity is reversed the tongue 0 will complete the full movement toward the pole 20 at the station where the aperture 0 and pin 0 coincide. Coincident with this movement of the tongue 0 the elastic metallic arm Q) will be carried rearward, so that contact between it and plate so will be broken, and the end of said arm 0 will rest upon the end of insulating-block K. The direction of the current passing from the main line will now be by way of wire 2, branch wire 3, metallic spring g, wire 6, call-bell coils, wire 2, coils S S, wire 3, to main line 1, or ground. The call-bell coils being now in the main-line circuit, each separate impulse of the current causes the armature of the call-bell to be attracted, and the proper signal can now be sent. The call having been answered, the subscriber removes the telephone from the supportin g-hook n, thereby throwing the switch-lever linto the position shown by dotted lines, Fig. 1, and thus breaking contact between the spring g,-fixed to said lever, and forming part of the circuit of the polarized relay, and the metallic segment m. This movement of the switch-lever causes the main-line current to pass through the telephone outside of the coils of the polarized relay by wire 2, key It, wires 8 S and telephone 2, wire 5, segment m, springg, to wire I consequently subsequent electrical currents sent over the main line will not energize the coils of the polarized relay until the telephone has been replaced upon its supporting-hook and the springg is again in contact with segment at. In all the other stations the aperture will be out of coincidence with the pin 0, and in consequence the vibratory tongue 0 will hold its arm 22 so that it makes contact with the end of metallic plate or, and in each of these uncalled stations the mainline current will flow by the shortest route via the wires 2 3, spring g, segment m, wires 6 4, metallic block as, spring 7), tongue 0, arbor 1', frame G, coils S S, wire 3, to line or ground, thus avoiding the electric bell-circuit, said bell remaining unrung.

By keeping a memorandum at the central office the operator will know how many impulses are necessary to place the instrument at any station in a position to permit a call to be made, and the call should be sounded by a current of the same polarity as that required to move tongue 0 toward pole w,in order that said tongue may be maintained in proper po sition to keep the bell-circuit switched into the main line.

When the line is not in use the batterycurrent should be left on with a polarity to cause the tongue 0 to move toward pole to, so that armature H will be released or repelled from the polls to and to, as before explained, and consequently when from any station a call is made for the central oflice, none of the other instruments in the circuit will be affected.

1 will now describe that part of my invention which relates to the prevention of interruptions orot'overhearing of messages passing between two or more subscribers at different stations. In thetelephone-exchange apparatus in general use this is accomplished by grounding the mainline at each station when the telephone is taken from its hook or lever for use. This is done either automatically or by hand, alever adapted to ground either the incoming or outgoing wire being moved to the proper position. Thus when any two stations are using the line a person at an intermediate station will interrupt the conversation by innocently or maliciously lifting the telephone from its supporting hook or lever. I avoid this source of trouble by dispensing with the earth'wire at sub-stations, and by means of shunting and locking apparatus at each station cutting out every telephone that is not being used.

At each station the telephone rests normally in the hook it of the switch, the telephone being then in a branch circuit, as shown. A subscriber desiring to call the central office removes the telephone from its hook, and thus moves the switch-lever l and the metallic springs fixed to it to a position indicated by the dotted lines. The telephone is now in the main circuit, excluding the polarized relaymagnet, the circuit to which has been broken by the movement of the switch-lever l. The subscriber next ascertains whether the line is in use, and it upon manipulating the key the telephone remains silent the line is being used; but if the line is clear the telephone gives forth a sound at each movement of the key. The subscriber having communicated with the central otlice, and having been put in communication with a subscriber at another station on the same or on another circuit, the operator at the central office arranges to prevent any interruption by other stations on the circuits now in use.

It has been already stated that previous to ringing the call-bell at a station the tongue 0 was caused to move toward the pole to and force pin 0 against disk D by a reversal of the main-line current, so that at all but the called stations the pin 0 rested against the face of disk D, and at only the called stations did the tongue 0 make-a full movement and carry the pin 0 into the aperture 0. Therefore, before proceeding to arrange the appa- 5 ratus to prevent interruptions from uncalled stations on the same circuits, it is necessary that the tongue 0 should be returned to its normal position, and thereby prevent the pin 0 from being carried into theaperture c at the uncalled stations. This is accomplished by the operator at the central office, who reverses the main-line battery, which restores the current to its original polarity. Thus the tongue 0, aml with it the pin 0, is drawn toward pole it at all of the uncalled stations, and at the called stations where the telephone is being used the tongue 0 is not withdrawn, as has been hereinbet'ore explained.

The projection m, fixed to sleeve J, is in metallic connection with the plate G, the said plate being in metallic connection with one terminal of the coils S S, the other terminal of said coils connecting with the outgoing main line. The rib 0" ot' the spring 19 and the bar or guard L being in metallic connection with the stud M, said stud being in metallic connection with the incoming main line, it follows that when the projection m is in metallic con tact with the rib 7" a new and short path is open for the main-line current by wire 9, stud M, guard L, spring 1), projection m, sleeve J, plate G, coils S S, wire 3, to main line. The operator at the central oflicc, knowing the position of the projection m, by manipulating the key It he will send the proper number of electrical impulses to move the ratchet-wheel O by a step-by-step movement, thus turning the sleeve J until the rib r and projection m are in contact at every station not using the telephone, thus making at these stations a short path for the main-line current, as hereinbefore described. Consequently the act of takvention in connection with an ordinary call ing the telephone from its hook or the breaking of contact at key 70 will not interrupt the main line.

It will be understood that at the stations using the telephone the circuit leading to the polarized relay which actuates the locking mechanism has been broken, as has been here inbefore explained, and that the currents sent over the main line for the purpose of shunting the telephone out of circuit at stations not using it will not energize the said polarized relay at stations which have been put into communication. The pin 0 of the tongue 0 will therefore remain in the apertures of the disks at the communicating stations and prevent said disks from turning to bring projection m of their sleeves J in contact with ribs 1*, which would shunt the telephone out of circuit. The tongue 0 and its pin 0 thus lock the telephoneshunt, or at least its movable part, which is the sleeve J, having the projection m, which will be unlocked when the telephones are replaced upon their hooks, as will be understood from the foregoing description.

When the subscribers have finished their communication the operator at the central office restores the apparatus to its normal condition by sending one or more electrical impulses, thus causing the ratchet-wheel to move forward, whereupon contact between m and r is broken.

hen the subscribers have finished using the line it is desirable to bring the different apparatus to a common starting-point. I accomplish this by means of a unison-stop, which I will now describe. hen the vibratory tongue 0 is in its normal position, near the pole to, the vertical projection x of the arm 3 fixed to the said tongue, is brought into the path of the pin at. Once in a full revolution of the ratchet-wheel O the pin a and projection 00 are brought in contact, and the movement of the pin it then ceases. After the necessary number of electrical pulsations have been sent from the central office to cause the pin a and projection to make contact in all of the apparatus the operator reverses the direction of the current, thus causing the tongue 0 to move toward the pole to. This movement breaks contact between pin a and projection 00, after which the beveled edge of projection 3 is brought against the oblique face of pin a, forcing said pin aside and out of the path of 00, when the operator reverses the current and the tongue 0 returns to its normal position.

In lieu of the circuit-breaking key at the central office, I may use an ordinary transmitter similar to that used in connection with a dial-telegraph, having a circuit-wheel turned by clock-work, or a crank and suitable gearing, and an indicating-pointer moving over a dial marked with the numerals and the words Unison and Out-out.

Fig. 7 illustrates a modification of my insystem, dispensing with the shunting, locking, and unison mechanism. The cores of the magnets R B have right-angled soft-iron prolongations 10 and 20', with a vibratory polarized armature, 8, playing between said prolongations, the said tongue being pivoted at its lower extremity to, and in metallic connection with, the metallic plate G. This plate may be a permanent magnet. The extremity of the vibratory tongue 8 is provided with platina contact-points z 2, which are brought alternately in contact with the contact-screws z and z as the tongue 8 is vibrated between the poles 20 and 20*. From the con tact-screw 2 a wire, 10, leads to the signal-bell coils f thence to the segment m. The contact-point 2 is con nected to the insulated contact-spring g, the

said spring being connected to the line 2. One terminal of the coils R R is in metallic connection with the plate G; the other terminal of said coils is connectedto theline-wire 1 by wire 3.

The operation is as follows: As shown in the drawings, the vibratory armature S is toward 10, making contact at points z and 2 thus making a short route for the main-line current by the wayof wire 2 2, vibrating tongue 8, plate G, coils R R, wire 3, to line 1, the call-bell circuit being open, as shown. In its normal condition the vibratory tongue 8 is toward the pole 20 the points z and 2 being in contact. In this position of the tongue the call-bellf is in the main-line circuit, ready to respond to electrical impulses. If, after putting two stations in communication, it is de sired to prevent other stations from overhearing or interrupting them, the operator at the central otfice, by reversing the direction of the main-line current, causes the tongue 8 to move toward polepiece 20 at all stations excepting at those using the line. The said tongue now makes contact at points z" and 2 thereby making a short route for the main-line current outside of the bell and telephone.

The detached call-bell f can be dispensed with by placing the gong over the coils R R and fixing a second armature in front of the poles 20 and 10 the lever of said armature being prolonged, and having a hammer fixed to its extremity and adapted to ring the gong,

as shown in dotted lines.

Any other electrical apparatus may be used in connection with the shunting, locking, and unison instrument, besides electrical bells, where there are a series of such apparatus in a circuit, and it is desired to operate them singly.

What I claim is- In a series of telephones upon the main circuit, connected with a central static the combination, with each of the telephones, of a shunt or cut-out operated by a current over the main circuit, and a locking device for each of said shunts or cut-outs, independ ently operated for locking by a current in one direction over said main circuit, and for unlocking by a reversed current, whereby any given number of telephones may be placed in communication, and all the other telephones may be cut out of the circuit by an operator at the central station, except those at stations where the shunt or circuit is locked.

2. The combination, with the telephone andsignal at each station, of a telephone-shunt and shunt-lock operated by a series of pulsations of the same polarity, and a signal-shunt and shuntlock operated independen tly of each other by means of reversed currents, whereby the operator at the central station may call any given station and place it in communication with any other without actuating the signals of any but these two stations, and then shunt out of circuit the call-bell, telephone, and break-key at the remaining stations.

3. The combination, with the vibratory tongue 0, operated by reversals of the mainline current, of the unison-stop controlled by said vibratory tongue, and the call-bell shunt, operated also by said tongue and controlled by a current over the main line, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the vibratory tongue 0, operated by reversals of the current, of the unison devices controlled by said tongue,

and the telephone-shunt and its operating devices controlled by a current over the main line, substantially as described.

The combination, with a single polarized magnet, of the .vibratory tongue armature, the unison devices, and call-bell shunt controlled by said tongue, and the telephone-shunt and the devices operated by said magnet for actuating said stop and telephone-shunt, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with the telephoneswitch lever Z, carrying the spring-arm g, insulated therefrom, and the spring g in electrical contact therewith, of the metal segment m, having'its ends so arranged that when the switch-lever is in its normal position one of said ends will be in contact with spring-arm g and the telephone switched out of the main circuit, and when the said lever is swung outward the other end of said segment will be in contact with arm 9 and the telephone switched into the main circuit, substantially as described.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 27th day of January, A. D. 1880. CHARLES DARWIN HASKINS. Witnesses:

MILLER O. EARL, WM. ARNOUX. 

